EA's PopCap studio, the developers behind Plants vs. Zombies, has just lost between 30 to 40 members of staff according to sources. General Manager John Vechey confirms the "painful" loss of colleagues.

However it was "also necessary" for the studio to remain "on course with our future plans". Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare recently released on console to good reviews.

PopCap are largely known for creating popular casual games like Plants Vs. Zombies, Bejeweled and Peggle, but according to a job listing the developer could be looking to build a AAA console game using the Frostbite 2 engine.